


The Hero Unleashed!

by MeltingPenguins (lilmaibe)



Category: Choice of Games, Hero Unmasked!, The Hero Unmasked!
Genre: Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 11:13:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12431604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilmaibe/pseuds/MeltingPenguins
Summary: One year has passed since the Incident at All Saints Cathedral, and once more a storm is brewing. With new supervillains popping up in Caledon City, the Swashbuckler and Midnight will need all their wits to face the challenge ahead.Also, how exactly does one fall in love with one of the city's most wanted?





	The Hero Unleashed!

"…has been Extreme Sports Adventures. I'm your host, Ellie Gentry, and I say Good Bye, and _stay on top of the world_."  
A grin and a wink for the camera. That was a wrap.  
Ellie smiled like a very happy cat as she made her way backstage after chatting with some loyal fans in the audience.  
The last episode before the summer specials was always something, well... special. And today would have been very special even without this detail.  
One year ago, Ellie's life was turned upside down.  
Had it really been a whole year already? According to Ellie's twin sister Mag it had been more than a year already, as Mag insisted on counting the time from the kidnapping on.  
Regardless of any of that, it was odd how time had flown by.  
Ellie had admittedly been a bit overwhelmed when she had realized it this morning.  
A whole year since she discovered that the woman behind the mask of the city's very own masked superhero, The Swashbuckler, was her very own twin.  
A whole year since Mag had been mistaken for her and kidnapped, and Ellie had to take up the Swashbuckler's mask and cape to save her sister from the clutches of a supervillain known as _The Matriarch_. And this villain happened to be none other than the former mayor of Caledon City _AND_ Ellie's fiancée.  
One year since Ellie then took up the mask of _Midnight_ , fighting crime alongside her sister.  
One whole year since…  
"You were wonderful, Mimi."  
Ellie stopped on her way through the backstage area and looked up at the man leaning against the wall of the corridor ahead of her, a broad grin on his face.   
Tall, dark, handsome. And one of the city's most wanted.   
Not that anyone at the CBN would have known about the latter. To them he was simply Carlo Delgado, one of the lighting techs and a complete dork with a smooth tongue and a dashing smile.  
Ellie cocked head and hips, and grinned back at him.  
"Do you mean it, Hotspot, or do you need to get a good word in with Rhoda for a raise?"  
Carlo laughed heartily and stepped closer to Ellie, wrapping his arms around her waist.  
"Bit of column A, bit of column B."  
Ellie smacked his chest gently, playing offended, before she went tiptoes to give him a short kiss.  
"Happy Anniversary", Carlo purred into her ear, chin resting on her shoulder. "Can't wait to see you tonight," he added after a moment of holding Ellie. "Or is Midnight suddenly out running patrols?"  
Ellie smiled, hazarded a glance, and booped his nose when the coast appeared clear. "Depends. The Swashbuckler might need some backup should Firebrand have suddenly decided to be out torching things. Now, will he?"  
"Well," Carlo drawled, all innocence. "Come to think of it, there's that exhibition coming up at the historical museum and they should get the goods tonight…"  
Ellie harrumphed and clapped him on the arm.  
"That was a joke." Carlo grinned from ear to ear for a moment, before the grin turned into a loving smile. "Naw. Tonight I'm all yours."  
"You're unbelievable, Hotspot."  
"That's what you love me for, isn't it?"  
They looked at each other, grinning, chuckled and kissed lovingly again.  
How exactly does one fall in love with one of the city's most wanted?   
More precisely, how do you fall in love AND get into a fulfilling relationship with one of the city's most wanted? Ellie had often wondered that, admittedly, usually prompted by Mag just outright asking about it with a magnificent display of utter disbelief.  
Ellie couldn't really answer those questions. Looking back, it all felt so natural.   
At least as natural as, _Hey, I kissed you to save my hide, but we were both into it and then you tried to blow me to smithereens but that didn't work, so we went on a date that wasn't one as I was spying on another criminal who you then had to save my bacon from and then you helped me stop a magical megalomaniac who happened to be my fiancée from kidnapping the president_ comes.  
"Quarter to nine at the Golden Eagle,” Ellie reminded her hot-blooded boyfriend, who snorted.  
"Still can't believe you really went and booked a table there,” Carlo said.  
"Why? It's…" They both fell silent as a couple of colleagues passed by and greeted them. They returned the greeting and smiled, and Ellie tugged on Carlo's collar the moment they were on their own again. "It's technically where we had our first date."  
Carlo gave a roaring laugh in response, squeezing Ellie's shoulder. "Oh suddenly it was a date?"  
Ellie chuckled, blushing lightly and went on tiptoes for another kiss. "See you tonight then?" she asked.  
"Of course. Wouldn't miss it for the life of me."  
"And no swiping stuff."  
"Promise."  
"And no setting Lee on fire."  
Carlo tilted his head. "That point's not negotiable?"  
"Carlo…"  
"Just a joke." Carlo smiled. "See you then. I have to get back to work,” he concluded, kissing Ellie on the nose.  
Ellie nodded, pecked his cheek, and they parted ways.

One whole year.  
It still hadn’t entirely sunk in.  
And as if the onslaught of exciting events then hadn't been enough already, the time since had not been short of surprises either. Some good, some bad. Some just... odd.  
The biggest occurrence, and Mag and Ellie agreed on that, was that suddenly the universe seemed eager to give them a full-fledged rogues gallery.  
Ever since _The Matriarch_ 's arrest, it felt as if every supervillain this side of the Atlantic made their way to Caledon City to test their luck against its heroes. Most fortunately superpowers were still as rare as diamonds in an oyster, so the number was remotely small, and very few of them posed much of a challenge.  
In fact, there were only two that had gained genuine… respect? Fear?... from Swash and Midnight: The Ivy Leaguer and a mind-controlling illusionist by the moniker of Fearfuel.  
Latter was, in fact, and most unfortunately, still out there.   
If he wasn't dead.  
As for the other outstanding villains, and this was another thing Mag and Ellie agreed upon, most of them were thankfully harmless, if not even charming in their own crooked way.  
The majority of work for the Swashbuckler, Midnight and Silver Screen (of whom Ellie was more and more certain that he was Josh Simpson from the station,) however, was still _provided_ by the average criminal.  
And speak of the devil.  
Ellie was only a few blocks away from the station. She pulled her little Vespa to a halt as she came up to a crowd that had gathered in the street, everyone staring at the rooftops in awe. The Swashbuckler was chasing a criminal from roof to roof. Ellie rolled her eyes in amusement. She squinted upwards.  
Mag was at her best, giving the potential onlooker a good show while simultaneously frustrating the crook into making one mistake after the other.  
When the guy finally wound up in steel cords and on the street, applause erupted.  
The Swashbuckler swept a bow and disappeared into the shadows. Ellie, knowing Mag had caught sight of her, smiled and started her little bike again and rode off into a side street.  
"Why, hello there,” she grinned as she pulled to another halt in front of her sister, who had just come down to street level.  
"Why, hello there too,” Mag laughed back, cocking her hips. "Shouldn't you already be home?"  
"I should be, if today wasn't today."  
Mag's lips turned into an uncharacteristic sneer. "Ah yes, the _anniversary_. I take it Firebrand kept you busy? I almost forgot…"  
Ellie briefly rolled her eyes and sighed, before pulling her sister into a tight hug.  
Mag murmured something and pouted, but Ellie knew she appreciated it.  
As much as it irked Mag just who her sister had hooked up with, it was another thing that really stung.  
"You'll be okay?" Ellie asked, finally letting her sister go.  
"I've been okay for the past year,” Mag said and sighed. "But thank you for asking." She smiled a little askew.  
One whole year since she had broken up with Rebecca Bello.  
Sure, the relationship had been a very twisted one.  
Sure, they had taken their time to talk and settle everything before parting ways.  
Sure, they maintained a professional relationship and were friends that could rely on each other.  
But it still stung.  
Mag sometimes wondered how Rebecca felt about the matter. For all she knew, Rebecca was burying herself in work ever since. At least she took great care not to get herself into trouble.  
Which, all things considered, did hurt a little too. A thought Mag wasn't happy with.  
"Want to go for a coffee? You look like you need it." Ellie very smoothly changed the topic.  
"Why, thank you, you too." Mag harrumphed. Then she smiled. "To-go, Café or at your place?"  
"If we head to my place, people will be certain we're a couple."  
Mag huffed briefly and Ellie smiled apologetically.  
"Not the best topic today?,” she asked.  
"Not the best topic ever. People shipping us, that is. Not relationship stuff per se."  
"To-go then?"  
"Sounds good. You pay."  
Ellie grinned and pushed her Vespa out of the side street towards a small plaza, the Swashbuckler strolling beside her, thumbs hooked into her sash. Of course people were looking.  
"It's a quiet day today, isn't it?” Ellie picked up the conversation anew once they had gotten their coffee from a bit of a perplexed barista at a stand, and were sitting together on bank at the side of the plaza (Ellie on the seat, Swash on the backrest).  
Swash nodded, acknowledging someone trying to sneak a picture.  
"Midnight and I have been doing a great job at pushing the city's crime rate down,” she answered, knowing people were listening in on their conversation. "A quiet day might not be _exciting_ , but it's something to be proud of."  
Ellie nodded.   
"And we both know that last year was the biggest event to ever happen in terms of crime fighting,” Swash mused, looking at the sky and licking cream off her lips.  
"You sound wistful."  
"In Orczy's good name, no. There's still enough villainy in the city; I would not wish for a repeat of last year's kerfuffle."  
Ellie tilted her head back, looking up at her sister. Mag's face was grim, staring into the distance. Ellie knew that expression.  
"Worried you jinxed it, Swashbuckler?"  
Swash laughed. "No way." She emptied her cup and jumped off the bench. "I’d already have a clue or two that something's brewing had the universe anything in store for me. It needs to get up earlier to catch me off balance." She puffed her chest and Ellie grinned.  
"Now you definitely jinxed it," she laughed, earning a pout from Swash. A pout that did not last long, before Swash took a bow and took Ellie's hand.  
"Should it be the case, allow me to accompany you home to keep you safe from what the universe might have in store, Miss Gentry. As I fear you are on its hit list the same as I."  
Ellie flushed deep red, especially when her sister kissed her hand. She could pretty much feel the pictures being taken.  
"That was really rude of you,” she mumbled as she and the Swashbuckler were heading back to Ellie's apartment a moment later. "'Specially since you were a bit down about that kind of talk before."  
Swash grinned from ear to ear. "I'm down about Rebecca, no need to deny that. But we're still friends and work together well. This now? This thing that you brought 'bout yourself." She winked, and Ellie blushed again.  
"Pff, as if you aren't as nervous about it as I am."  
"Comes with the package." Swash shuddered. "Just imagine what they'd do if they knew we're related."  
"The fact that fans would imagine us getting it on even more often is really your biggest concern in the event of the public discovering we're related?"  
For a moment Swash grimaced, tilted her head back and shrugged. "It certainly is up there. I mean… You see how popular _NightHuntress_ is."  
Ellie laughed curtly. "One more reason to never, ever let them know."  
"Eh, I planned on publicly unmasking once I find I can't do the job anymore, truth be told."  
"Oh?" Now that was a new one. "Define 'unable to do the job anymore'."  
"Dead."  
Ellie burst out laughing, and Swash flashed her a winning grin.  
"Let's hope that moment is really far, far away," Ellie said with a smirk, although some thoughtfulness clung to her expression.. They had almost reached Ellie's apartment complex now, and after taking lonely side streets to be able to talk, Mag decided to take to the rooftops again, avoiding the public eyes for the moment.  
Ellie bid her sister good-bye and went to park her vehicle, get her mail, and all the other mundane things that coming back home entitled.  
She was so caught up in these everyday things that she did a double-take when she stepped into her apartment and found Mag lounging on her couch.  
"Breaking into my apartment, Mag? Really?"  
Mag waved a little headset at her. "Nothing on police radio. I think I can continue snipping off a bit of my precious time to talk to my little sister."  
"Three minutes, Mag. It's just three minutes,” Ellie growled and closed the door, putting her bag down.  
"Still three minutes I'm older." Mag sing-songed. Ellie was not buying it.  
"Why are you here? Really, I mean."  
She pulled out the electric water kettle (what a blessing these were,) and put it on for some tea.  
Mag sat up and sighed. "Take a wild guess."  
With a kind smile, Ellie sat down next to her sister, gently squeezing her shoulder. "You are bothered by the whole talk about relationships more than you wanted to admit out there."  
Mag just nodded. "If I had to be honest, I think it'd be easier if I'd known…" she paused. Ellie narrowed her eyes.  
"Please don't say anything about Carlo now."  
"No, don't worry. Of course it bothers me that my own sister hooked up with one of my Nemesis-…es? -What's the plural of nemesis?"  
"Nemesisters?"  
They both snorted a laughter and Ellie got up to get the tea.  
"No, while it does bother me - thank you -," Mag began anew, "it turned out to be less trouble than I’d worried. In fact, I must congratulate you on reducing Firebrand's criminal activities."  
"Mag, the more good work is done for Dockerstown, the less he has to do. And I have the means to nudge the right people in the right direction, so I ought to make good use of that power, right?"  
Mag nodded, sipping her tea. "No, it's about Rebecca, as I wager you guessed already. It's odd. I mean, it’s not like we avoid or despise each other. We’re still friends. But, it feels odd. Not odd in 'we've been together once'. We never really were. It's something else entirely, and I can't pinpoint what it is. And it's not 'Yeah, Margareth, you're in love with her and you're heartbroken.' It's driving me mad not to know what it is."  
She frowned and sank into the upholstery.  
"Have you talked to Rebecca about it? She is as much a part of the breakup as you are."  
"Yes. Twice in fact. You know how much I hate the 'communication failure' trope."  
"And?"  
"You'll laugh. We both feel the same. We agree that the relationship would have never worked out based on what it was." Mag shook her head.  
"It's not that you miss being her personal hero, is it?"  
"Good gracious, no! That'd be cruel."  
Ellie gazed at her sister for a long time as Mag finished her tea, clutching the cup as though it were a lifeline.  
So much had changed in the past year. Even the things that might still appear to be the same from the outside.  
"You'll find the answer,” Ellie reassured Mag, who grinned.  
"Of course I will. I always find the answer." She winked. "Just wait. In the end it's just that neither of us really had the time to digest everything. What with all these new villains trying their luck in Caledon City... we really had our work cut out for us since the thing at All Saints. Dear Orczy, even _Silver_ has an archenemy now."  
The two chuckled. In fact, Silver Screen had an entire trio of archenemies by now. A group of (possibly,) sisters calling themselves The Three Graces - Silence, Siren and Lullaby - all of them with sound-based powers.  
"Makes you a bit jealous, doesn't it?" Ellie mused. "The Graces are remotely harmless, compared to what we had on our plate."  
Mag smirked. "Yeah, but all of them - the Matriarch, the Graces and Fearfuel have gotten their comeuppance. So, you can be proud of what we achieved."  
Ellie smiled and finished her tea. "Want another cup?"  
Mag shook her head. "Naw, I'm fine. Can I crash here for an hour or two? I got a long night ahead of me. You too, if I remember correctly."  
The smirk on Mag's lips again sent blood rushing into Ellie's cheeks.  
"It's really just dinner."  
"It's your first year anniversary date, Eleanor. And you are having it at the Golden Eagle of all places. I can imagine the thrill will get your blood pumping."  
Ellie huffed. That was really big coming from Mag after what they had just talked about. Then again, it was quite possible Mag was trying to distract herself. On top of being an old tease.  
"But seriously now, Ellie. Do stay careful. Lee might recognize Carlo, even if the chance is slim with all the people he meets on a daily basis. And Lee is clever; he might be able to put one and one together then."  
Ellie nodded. "Was planning to. And so's Carlo."  
"Good." Mag nodded with a proud smile and put her cup down. She opened her mouth to ask where Ellie had put the towels again, when her eyes fell on the mail on the coffee table. She furrowed her brow, picking the envelope up.  
"Tiffany Mulholland" she read the addresser's name and blinked, looking a bit dumbfounded at her sister. "Isn't that Mamba? From the Serpents?"


End file.
